Giving up or giving in?
by Oozaru-Huntress
Summary: Hours after the defeat of Cell Vegeta doesn't know what to do anymore. He decides to leave earth for good. But what does Bulma think about this? Rated M for swearing


Hello everyone!

I'm sorry for staying away this long _

But i'm back again 3

This is my version of the events following the Cell game.

Why our favourite prince decided to stay on planet earth

I really really hope you guys like it!

Have a nice day and merry christmas!

* * *

"I won't ever fight again!"  
Those where his words. And he meant them deadly serious.  
Breathing heavily he looked down at the barren wasteland. Looked down at the remnants of the last battle from the top of a slowly crumbling cliff. The dark prince stood there in complete silence mere hours after the defeat of the horrible, murder and mayhem causing monster called cell. The fight was over, yet the land would be scarred forever.

Just like him.

He clenched his teeth as he clutched his left arm. It was fractured from the last blow. He could feel pieces of bones grinding against each other with every movement he did.

He took a deep breath that suddenly turned into a violent coughing fit. Drops of blood flew from his lips and a pained gasp escaped his throat.

Definitely a few ribs were broken. His whole body felt as if it was on fire. Surely countless bruises already formed under his tight spandex suit. There wasn't a single inch of skin that didn't hurt like hell.

And he deserved this pain.

Because of him Cell had almost won. Because of him his own son had died. His stupid pride nearly caused the destruction of planet earth and countless innocent victims died because of him.  
But the worst thing was ... The prince was allowed to continue living while others, much more deserving, had to loose their lives.

Yes. He deserved this pain. All of it.

He looked up to the clouded sky with sad eyes. Knowing that somewhere up there his old nemesis, Kakarott, was already standing at the gate to paradise. That clown too, died because of him.

Rain was pouring down on the prince. It soaked his clothes and drenched his hair while thunder roared high above his head.  
Lightning bolts brought light on his features for a few seconds before bathing him again in absolute darkness. The storm was raging with such an intensity ... as if the gods themself where angered about the events of this very day.

It wouldn't even surprise him.

He stood there, alone in the middle of the night and didn't know what to do. Or where to go. With wide eyes he realized ... his life had lost any meaning.

* * *

"This can't be happening!"  
The blue haired heiress pressed her palm against her mouth to prevent herself from sobbing. She was devastated. Consumed by grief. But also angry. Oh so angry. "I'm sorry, B.", her ex-boyfriend, Yamcha told her with a sad look on his face. He just finished telling her about the recent events with a small voice.  
The eternal dragon had just dissapeared after saving the day once again. She had her future son back. Everyone Cell killed was brought back to life and her friends where alive and kicking as if nothing happened.  
She should be happy. She should celebrate the victory, the defeat of that ugly monster with her friends and family and lots. Of. Wine.

But Bulma just couldn't.

Because Goku died for them. He gave his life to protect his son and friends from Cells self destruction that would have blasted their world into oblivion. Her best friend died a true hero.

Of course they wanted to revive their savior with the power of shenron. But Goku ... he wanted to stay dead!  
She couldn't understand. He was a father! The father of a little boy that was now weighted down with the burden of telling his mother that her husband would never return. It just wasn't fair.

"He spoke with us. Thanks to King Kai. He said if he isn't around, no evil beings have a reason to harm us. That, with him out of the picture, we could finally live a peaceful life forever."

She gnawed on her right thumbnail. Those were her words. She told Goku that he was the reason for all that trouble. But she meant it as a simple joke at that time! Nothing that should be considered serious. Now she was sad AND felt guilty beyound comprehension. It was all her fault.

Softly a hand landed on her shoulder.  
"You know how he is. He'd never want us to grief. He died for our savety and for that we should be happy and thankful. Yamcha smiled at her and nodded encouraging. But immediately she saw how hard he tried to supress his own sadness and pain. They had known Goku for such a long time now. He was just like a younger brother.  
For both of them.  
He was family.  
"I know. I just ... I feel so bad for Chi-Chi and Gohan ... God ... Chi-Chi ...! She has to raise that boy all by herself!"  
"We're gonna help her. We're friends after all! Besides. Chi-Chi is strong. She can do everything!"  
He tried so hard to cheer her up, it was heartwrenching. He was right though. They had to work hard now.

They had to move on.

She bit her lip and shifted her gaze to the grown up version of her sweet baby boy. Trunks stood at the window and looked outside with a worried look. Why, she had no idea. Perhaps he was thinking about ... She swallowed hard and gently put a hand oh his right shoulder.  
Finally she brought up a topic she had tried to avoid.  
But there was no running away anymore.  
"Trunks ...", she asked cautiously.

"What about Vegeta? Is he ... okay?"  
She expected her son to be mad. After all, his father was a real bastard to him all the time. But his reaction ... was quite the opposite.  
He smiled. A true adoring smile that made her raise a curious eyebrow. The boy was actually happy upon hearing his fathers name. "I dont know where he is right now. But I can feel his energy. Its ... weak though."  
She wasn't sure if she should be relieved or worried.  
Again Trunks showed a beaming smile.  
"I'm sure he's allright. But what's more important ..."  
He grabbed both of her shoulders.  
"Mom, I swear you won't believe what he did today!"

* * *

He came back to Capsule Corp in the end. Without any clue of why he did so, or what brought him back. Maybe he wanted one last night in a bed.  
He was longing for a shower.  
To fall into soft sheets and sleep till morning. To eat delicious feasts ...  
Shit!

This lazy luxury had to stop.  
At dawn he would take a ship and leave this god forsaken planet without anyones knowing.

He had no reason to stay on earth.

The prince closed his tired eyes.  
His arch enemy was gone. His little son was better off without him. The Future version of this child turned out just fine without a father after all. Trunks was strong. No. Trunks was more than that. He was ... The prince couldn't even find the right words to describe what he felt for his son.  
Seeing him die today made something just 'snap' inside of Vegeta. At this very moment he realized that he indeed was proud of his son. For what he had become. A fine warrior. A fighter with an enormous potential, a true saiyan of royal blood. And ne never needed a father in his life.

Landing on the balcony of his room he still clutched his bleeding arm. Breathing heavily he limped inside and to 'his' closet to free himself of the bloodstained armor. But the moment the chestpiece fell on the ground he heard a familiar voice:  
"Oh my. Look who we have here."  
He gasped. How did she manage to sneak up on him? Why couldn't he sense her? It didn't make sense to him.

Sighing he closed his eyes, not wanting to look at her. The prince was too tired to be screamed at. Although he deserved it.  
She almost died because of him. Because he didnt save her after Gero blasted her hovercar.

She was in there with the baby! His baby!  
And he just stood there and let it happen.  
What a disgusting thing to do. It was nothing a true father would do. He finally realized it now and hated the sinking feeling of guilt and dread in his guts. Slowly he turned away from her.  
"Leave me alone, woman."

But she just came closer and touched his right arm with a hand so incredibly soft, so tender, that he almost didn't feel it.  
Almost.

"You're still hurt. And ... so badly. What are you punishing yourself for? And look at you. You are completely drenched!"  
He clicked his tongue.  
"That is none of your concern.", he spat.  
He tried to shove her away but she resisted with fierce determination and stood her ground with a gentle smile.  
She amazed him.

"Just take this, tough guy."  
"I said leave me ... wha ...?"  
With eyes wide he stared at a small senzu bean in the palm of her right hand. Cautiously he took a step back and raised an eyebrow. Why was she so ... nice?

"Why are you offering this?"  
"Because you are in pain, silly.", she said without any hint of anger. It almost made him nervous how friendly she was.  
Unbelievable.  
"Tch."  
He turned away from her. Not able to look into her beautiful eyes any longer. He couldn't understand why she was so nice to him. Why she offered him help after all those shitty things he did since the arrival of the androids. It made no sense. It just had to be a trap. A cruel act of revenge. He learned soon not to mess with earth women. Especcially Bulma Briefs.

"What do you want from me, woman?"  
She sighted and put a soft hand on his left cheek. This simple touch felt so good, so incredibly soothing on his bruised flesh that his pain was completely forgotten for a moment. He wanted nothing more than to close his eyes and give in.

But he had to resist. Resist the temptation to hold her close. It was never this difficult before.  
Why was she making this so hard for him?

"I just want to help you. Why can't you get that into your thick skull? I'm not plotting something evil, your highness. Those beans are not poisoned if that's your problem. Relax, buddy."

As always she knew how he felt. How did she do that? She just had to be a witch.  
Slowly he took a deep breath and snatched the bean without breaking eye contact. For a second he observed her eyes for any signs of betrayal. But as allways they where pure and clear. A bit mischievous but thats not new to him. With a sigh he took the bean and swallowed it.  
Its magic worked instantly. He felt his broken bones patching themself together. Torn skin closed itself and his nearly useless left arm was soon perfectly fine again. Relief rushed through every cell of his being and in mere seconds he was completely healed from any recieved damage.  
Gods, it felt good to be back again.

A small laugh reached his ears. "Now thats better. How do you feel, tough guy?"  
He didnt answer. He just couldn't. Instead of holding her close, like he wanted so badly, he silently retreated into the bathroom and locked the door behind him.

Like a coward.

"A simple 'thanks for your help, Bulma' wouldn't hurt, you know?! Asshole!"  
The friendly attitude was forgotten. Back was the feisty little vixen he fell for. She had no idea how much he would miss this woman.  
Actually ... It even surprised himself.

* * *

Of course he'd never thank her. After screaming at him for what felt like hours Bulma finally sighed in defeat.  
She wanted to talk to him. To yell at him for doing so much stupid shit in the last weeks because of his stupid pride. And she wanted to kiss him all over for his love for their son. He redeemed himself by trying to avenge Trunks. By helping gohan ultimately defeat Cell. It didn't erase his sins, but it made it easier for her to forgive him. A few hours ago she was ready to kick him out and now she wanted to give him a second chance. She wanted to stay with him.

Funny how fast someone can change final opinions, she thought with a sigh. Bulma was still in his room. Still waited for him to emerge from the shower. He was hiding something from her. Something that bothering him and she definitely wanted to find out what.  
She had a bad feeling that he was going to do something stupid.

Again.

Taking a deep breath she laid down on his bed and stared at the ceiling, thinking about him, about them. What were they? Would they ever share a bed? A real bed for two? Like a true couple?  
After all, they had a son together.  
Sure they spent quite a lot of time tangled in the sheets while they ... Her face flushed red.  
Bad thoughts, Bulma. Bad thoughts!  
She shook her head in embarrasment. Minutes ago she was mad enough to beat him up and now she wanted to jump him. She cursed.

Vegeta took his time. Normally he would be long done showering. She knew he was evading her and that ... hurt.  
Because it confirmed her suspicions that he was thinking of doing something stupid. Was he going to ... leave her?  
She bit her lip and stood up. Seconds later she was at the bathroom door.  
"Vegeta? Come out. Talk to me! I know something bad is going on in that head of yours and i don't like that one bit! Move your royal ass out of there and tell me whats wrong!"  
No answer. "What's wrong with you?! It's because of the bad stuff you did, right? But Yamcha told me everything! You ...!"  
Suddenly the door was ripped open. The lock broke out of the wood and fell to the ground. It took less than a second.  
"WHAT did scarface say about me?!"  
Oh yes, he was mad. There was killing intent clearly written over his features. For the first time in three years this sight awoke fear inside Bulma.  
"Vegeta. Calm down, okay? I know what you did. You let the androids be freed. Let Cell become perfect. Just because you wanted a really strong opponent. It was allways just because of your own selfish reasons! Your gigantic ego! Your fucking pride! Just like the time you let Gero almost kill me and your baby son!"  
For a brief moment hurt flashed in his eyes. She could see guilt in their depts. But it dissapeared quickly and he walked right beside her and let out a snarl.  
"Shut up, will you?! You don't understand."  
Only clad in a white towel he sat down on the bed and looked away. "But i want to understand! If you don't care about us then why did you try to avenge big Trunks?!"  
He froze. His shoulders tensed. And finally is gaze met hers. His eyes were wide open in shock.  
He looked so lost that it broke her heart. "Trunks and Yamcha told me. Cell killed big Trunks and you attacked him without hesitation. To avenge your son. Even though you knew, Cell was stronger than you. Heck, you even helped Gohan defeat Cell in the end where no one else was able to even move a muscle!  
He swallowed hard and turned his head. "I was ... mererly repaying a favor"  
Smiling she sat down next to him and put her hand on his lower back. "It was your last strenght. And you used it to help. You distracted Cell long enough for Gohan to kill him. Without you he ..."  
He snorted aloud.  
"Aren't I a hero, right?! I'll tell you something, woman. Your precious hero, Kakarott, died because of me! That is the truth! His half breed son lost half of his energy because of me! Because I foolishly attacked Cell head on and had to be saved by a stupid kid! I didn't do shit in this battle! So stop pretenting you are happy about my presence! Everyone would have prefered seeing me die instead of Kakarott! And I can't even blame them!"  
He stood up apruptly and stared out of the window. Bulma was too shocked by his harsh words to stop him.  
"Tell your father to prepare the spaceship."  
"Wha ...?!" This time she stood up instantly. He wanted to leave? Now?!  
"What do you mean by that?"  
"I thought you are such a brilliant mind."  
"Of course I am! But thats beside the point! Where do you want to go? Why do you want to go? Where will you live?!"  
"Goddammit Woman! I dont know! I just want to leave this backwater planet for good! There is nothing worth staying for!"  
The prince didn't turn around. He didn't look at her. His gaze never left the nightsky.

* * *

As she put her right hand on his lower back again his whole body tensed. How did she do this? It was nothing but a small gesture. It was nothing! But it felt like being struck with lightning. "Nothing? Not even your ... family?"  
Family? Was this really how she saw them? Still saw them? It made no sense. He never even wanted the child in the first place! It was the reason why he went to space without her even knowing it! While she was pregnant! Why was she still at his side? How could she forgive him?

What did he do to deserve her?

"Vegeta, please ... talk to me."  
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. What was he supposed to do? "Why do you even care? As if you need me! You are wealthy enough to buy this stupid planet. And look at Trunks! He came out just fine without me! If I had his strenght back then Freezer would be long gone by my hand! The little brad is better off without me! Now go away and let me gather my fucking belongings! I can't stand your presence anymore!"  
He didn't want to scream at her. But he wanted her to be mad. This would make it easier for her in the end. How he would miss this beautiful vixen.

His mate.

He blinked at the thought. He truly thought of her as his. When did that happen? He didn't know. "I ... see.", she finally said after a break.  
"You are right, Vegeta. I don't need you."  
Hearing those words ... hurt. It surprised him. But he remained unmoving.  
"I am wealthy, yes. I can buy whatever my heart desires. My family is known on every inch of this planet. We are a family of independent geniuses. Every man on this planet would commit murder to lay his hands on me. To get a taste of the sweet luxury I worked hard to obtain. But I don't need any of those fools. And I don't need you."

Suddenly, despite her dismissive words, she leaned against his broad back. Her arms embraced him from behind as she planted soft kisses on his right shoulder. He gasped at the sensation.  
This was something he didn't expect. Why did she kiss him when she didn't need him?

Why did it feel so good on his skin?

Her voice grew soft. "But I want you. I chose you as the man by my side. And I surely don't want to loose you. Don't you understand? I want for my baby to grow up with his dad. He needs you, Vegeta. Can't you see it? Can't you see the admiration in your sons eyes? Cant you see how hard big Trunks tries to be like you? That he's so glad to be with you? Because he never got a chance to see you before. The real you."  
Her lovely face turned into a mask of anger.  
"Vegeta ... Can you feel Gokus energy?"  
"No. He's ... still death."  
He stated the obvious. But even he was confused about the clowns whereabouts. "Yes. And do you know why? Because he chose to be death! He just left his family for good! He doesn't even want to be revived! Now Chi-Chi is all alone with a young boy! A kid that believes his dads death was HIS fault! Chi-Chi is strong. So very strong! But now she's been broken! It will take years for her to overcome the loss!"  
The prince took a step back and shoock his head in disbelief.  
"You talk nonsense. Why should he ...?"  
She leaned in close and wrapped her arms around his broad back again. He could smell the scent of salt in the air. She was crying.  
"He want's it like this."  
She sobbed silently behind him.  
"He'll never come back. Chi-Chi and Gohan are all alone now. I don't want to end up like her! I just ... I just can't. So please ... stay with us ... Stay with me ..."  
Then he heard a whisper. A faint sound that caressed his ears with a gentle touch but on the same time slapped him hard across his face.

"I love you."

He held his breath. Couldn't believe what he was hearing. His heart was beating so fast that he thought she might hear it. That it might burst through his chest.  
He didn't know what to do. What to say.  
"Wha ... Don't be rediculous! Don't you have that scar-faced ...?"  
"Yamcha? I told you long ago, that I'm done with him. Yes, it broke my heart at that time because he was my first love..."  
"You ... mentioned he was ... unfaithful."  
She tensed against his back and that angered him. He let out a low growl.

"Worthless piece of trash. Should have been grateful to get a woman like you in the first place! He did not deserve you."  
He closed his eyes and let out a breath.  
"And neither do I."

* * *

This last line was spoken with such resignation, such finality. He truly believed his words. That he really was not ... good enough for her. Was this the reason he had to leave the planet for good? Was it because of ... guilt? She was sure of it.  
He truly changed over the last months.  
"You're better off without me."  
Tears shot into Bulmas eyes. She was not sure if she could trust her voice anymore. She never saw him this ... hurt. This ... powerless. She decided that words were spoken enough already.  
So instead she decided to show him.  
That he was wrong. And how moved she was upon hearing those words. But above all things ... she wanted to show, just how much she loved this man despite his many flaws and sinful actions. She turned him around, grabbed his handsome face and just kissed him passionately on his lips. His whole body tensed in surprise. She could feel how much he was shocked. How incredibly irritated he was about her sudden attack.

But the prince was a born fighter.

It took only a few moments before he finally parted his lips to grant her access and Bulma gladly deepened the kiss. Their tongues sliding against each other her hands ran over his strong chest. A gentle moan reached her ears and with a small blush on her cheecks she realized, that it has been quite a long time since the last time they spent a night together. She gasped. Now she remembered that he was twice in the room of spirit and time! So it were two whole years for him!

Bad thoughts.

Giggling she pulled away to catch her breath. Gently she pressed her forehead against his to look him deep in the eyes. His beautiful eyes wich had seen so much pain and blood in his life and now showed nothing but love in their depts and her heart almost bursted from happyness at the sight.  
"Listen. And listen carefully, you Super Saiyan jerk. I risked my life on a daily basis even before I met you. I was chased by giant apes, got blown up, fell from castles and even got turned into a fucking frog."  
She shivered at the memory.  
"So you didn't save me as Gero shot me out of the sky -"  
At that he visibly paled and looked away.

"Let me finish. I see that you feel bad for it. So I'm not mad or anything, understand? You made already up for it."  
"I didn't do anything ...", he said with a small voice.

She kissed his forehead.  
"You almost died to avenge your son. Our son. I don't care about the outcome, but I care about your action. Hun, you can be a good father of you allow yourself the chance. You may not believe it, but it's in here."

She put her hand above his heart.

"Now think again. Can you really live in space, knowing that you'll have a son that will never get to know your face? Living in a world where everyone is afraid of you? Hates you? Forces you to kill to survive? That's in the past, Vegeta. This is your chance of a new life."  
His deep brown eyes never left hers. She could almost see the gears turning in his head. Finally he turned away from her to look out of the window without a word.  
The light of the stars shining down on him he was obviously in deep thought. For a moment she feared she had failed. That she would indeed raise her son alone. Maybe this was her destiny.  
Her Saiyan prince was born alien after all. Outer space was his home for most of his life. Even if it was a painful life.  
She closed her eyes and let out a defeated sigh as he suddenly touched her hand and grasped it gently.  
Then he intertwined their fingers. Bulma started to cry.  
Was this goodbye?

* * *

He was in deep thought. Memories washed over him. Memories of his old days. Outer space was a cold, harsh world. No one knew this as good as he did. There were monsters luring behind every corner. Bounty hunters were after him since he was a small boy. Assassins tried to kill him in his sleep. Often he was awake for weeks and got terribly sick after long periodes of starving. Because he feared his food got poisoned by his enemies.

Again.

Vegeta has been nearly fatally poisoned twice in his life. It was a wonder he was still alive.

Had he any allies out there? No. not anymore. A feeling of dread came over him. He was the last of his kind. The last saiyan. The prize on his head would be astronomic. Everyone would try to get him. Dead or alive.  
He'd be forced to kill again and again. With wide eyes he realised that the former dark prince ... was dead. He was a different man now.  
Not the cold hearted murderer Freezer turned him into. Vegeta felt a sharp pain in his gut. Regret. Guilt. Shame.  
His old live suddenly disgusted him.  
He was a feared man that knew every torture method in existence and and how to perform them. He had slaughtered innocent children in the past.  
His past self laughed at his victims suffering. Especcially when they begged for their life. Lives he never spared.  
Now his stomach churned at the mere thought of blood and gore. Did earth make him soft?  
Or did it make him better?

He swallowed hard and looked at Bulma. She was looking away. A sad look on her beautiful face that made him want to kiss her untill she laughed again. How did she do this to him? He didn't know.  
His woman was an incredible creature. She was like no one else. Her will was unbreakable and her spirit was that of a saiyan. She might be just a weak human. But she was his human. He chose her to be his mate.  
She chose him as hers.

And she was right.  
Space would be his doom. Earth may be a backwater planet full of weak, puny creatures. But it was the only planet where the prince found acceptance.

It was home. Vegeta closed his eyes and took a deep breath.  
After a long periode of silence he made his final desicion.

He wanted to try. For her.  
Slowly he grasped her soft left hand and intertwined their fingers. A small gesture, but of great significance and intimacy. Tears shot into her eyes and a look of fear rested on her soft features.  
"You won, Bulma ...", he said.  
Bulma froze in motion, looking at him.  
"For now.", he added with a smirk.

"Wha ... Vegeta are you ..."  
Swallowing hard he nodded once. She understood immediately.  
In pure disbelief she gaped at him. Tears still shone in her eyes that he gently brushed away with his thumb.

"Now stop crying, woman. It makes you look hideous "  
Her mouth stood open in shock and he couldn't stop himself from laughing.  
"Shut up, you ruin the mood, you dork"  
"Wench."  
"Idiot Saiyan."  
The next thing he know was the feeling and taste of incredibly soft lips.

Yes. He made the right desicion.

He did many mistakes in the past that couldn't be erased. But he'd try to leave all of this behind to become someone better.

For his family.


End file.
